eAdvisor - eMarketing Tip of the Month

Why Are My Readers Unsubscribing?

1. Too much hard selling

Successful eNewsletters generally follow the 80/20 rule by providing 80 percent helpful and educational content and 20 percent promotion. Use educational copy rather than a hard sale. Educate readers about how the benefits of your products and services will help them or solve issues.

2. Not responsive to readers' needs and interests

When planning your eNewsletter content, are you thinking, "what do I need to say?" or "what do my readers want to know about?" A helpful way to judge what your readers want to know about is by considering your clicks and views reports. You can see which article topics readers are most interested in every issue. Discussions with sales and customer service departments will also help you determine the hot-button topics customers want to know more about.

3. The format is unfriendly

Providing your subscribers with optimal usability will encourage them to stay subscribed to your eNewsletter. Here are some must-have ways to keep the format user friendly:

• Offer printer-friendly versions of the articles
• Keep headlines visible with each article, not just on the front page
• "Close article" option returns to main page
• Provide a navigation menu listing section names on the front page
• Link to your company's Web site and related sites
• Offer a forward feature to make it easy for readers to send the eNewsletter to colleagues and friends

4. You're telling, not engaging

Communication is more effective when it engages the reader. Content and packaging are key. Jupiter Communications reports that more than 51 percent of recipients open their email messages for a brief look before deciding to read or delete them.

Here are some ways to engage your readers:

• Lead with your most compelling, timely article
• Present your company with a quality look and feel
• Use punchy, enticing headlines
• Include images on the email page
• Use lead-ins to attract readers to open the article

5. Inconsistency

Issue your eNewsletter on a regular basis and stick to your schedule. Your readers should receive it at the same time of the month. That way, they'll come to expect it.

Look for ways to enhance the branding of your eNewsletter, but don't routinely make changes to its appearance. Readers are more likely to open (and read) an e-mail that looks familiar.

6. Quality control lagging

Typos, formatting mistakes and links that don't work can turn off readers. Before you distribute your eNewsletter to your total mailing list, have several communications professionals review it for such errors. Rely on professionals who are trained to catch embarrassing mistakes and suggest improvements.

7. Readers are not sure who the email is from

Don't try to make your readers guess whom the email is from. Use your company's name in the "from" line of the email if it is produced by an outside vendor. Keep your subject lines easy to understand and recognize. Using a consistent subject line for your monthly eNewsletter will help your readers identify easier with your company.

Do It Right

Proven Systems performs quality eNewsletter services for your company so you don't have to worry about the basics. We can tune up your eNewsletter program and get it running on all cylinders. For more information, contact info@provensystems.com or call 970-223-6565.

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